Rumor Has It
by stilted-stylus
Summary: Really. What the hell kind of competition was ‘who has more headlines concerning Hiromi and an illicit affair?’ -Kai x Hiromi- -Takao x Hiromi-


**Rumor Has It**  
_stilted-stylus_

A/N: WOW, when's the last time I wrote anything. Ages and ages and ages ago. Can't remember. Anyway, this plot assaulted me while I was reading (surprise, surprise) a magazine with a celebrity couple on the cover.

It's kind of short, but enjoy anyway! :)

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The trip there was innocent enough.

Just three close friends picking up groceries together.

Pretty ordinary. Nothing special.

Takao needed to restock on precious snacks and foodstuffs.

Kai needed to pick up a prescription for an old injury.

Hiromi needed to buy a couple of feminine necessities.

They hadn't been together in a while—Takao was always busy with chores and beyblade practice. Kai was always either strenuously training or characteristically brooding. And Hiromi was always studying and diligently keeping up with her duties as class representative.

So they thought, why not a short stop to the store then perhaps a quick coffee afterward to catch up?

Three pairs of fashionable sunglasses, a bandana, a cap, and a drawn up hood later, they were good to go in their makeshift disguises.

They looked at each other, amused.

…Ok, so maybe they weren't your average trio.

All of them were famous in the world of Beyblading. Both Takao and Kai had at one point been Grand Champions and Hiromi had managed the popular Bladebreakers who had been record holding and unbeatable.

What with their hometown, Batuken City, being one of the founding areas of the Beyblading craze, it was no wonder why the three teens were hunted like big-time celebrities.

But that's beside the fact.

The point is, the trip there was as innocent as it could get for them; ducking behind poles and mailboxes to escape paparazzi and the occasional fan girl.

_Sigh_.

Hiromi could only blame the boys' overbearing egos for turning their guiltless little outing, sour.

They'd just barely got a foot through the automatic sliding door when, "Ooh! Magazines!" Honestly, Takao had the attention span of a four year old.

But the rack looked pretty harmless. She could spare a little time to catch up on her Teen Vogue. She shot a grin at Kai and he only sighed and shrugged. And picked up a Reader's Digest.

"Hey, Hiromi, we're on the cover of this one." Takao said, laughing. She was glad he had enough tact to keep his voice down.

She looked to the paper in his hands and rolled her eyes, "It's just a tabloid, Takao. Obviously not true."

He snorted, "Stop being such a party pooper. Just listen, would you?"

"_Kinomiya Takao, Beyblading Champ, Takes Manager Girlfriend Tachibana Hiromi On Date._"

And she giggled in spite of herself. "Hm, I don't quite remember you taking me on a date, Takao."

"What!" He exclaimed in mock incredulity, "How could you _forget_? The romantic movie, the dinner under the stars, the matching tattoos!" When their laughter quieted down, he shook his head, "Nah, they took pictures of that one day we decided to visit a friend in Kyoto."

"Psh," she crossed her arms, "Coincidentally, that was the one outing I would consider as far from a reasonable date as possible." She gave him a look, "You left me sleeping on the train!"

He had the gall to look sheepish, "Total accident, Hiromi, remember? It was totally crowded and people just kept pushing—"

"Yeah, yeah, enough excuses." She rolled her eyes, smilingly. "You were forgiven the instant you bought me that crepe afterwards."

They exchanged warm expressions and Kai abruptly spoke up, "Here's another one of those stupid tabloids."

The auburn haired girl turned to the other teenager, reading aloud the glaring red title from the publication in his hands, "_The Beyblading World's King Kai and Sweetheart Hiromi: In LOVE!_"

The female laughed with its incredulity, "Seriously, where does the paparazzi get this crap?"

Kai sighed, easily masking his amusement, "Ever since that day you kissed me three tournaments ago, they've been interpreting everything we do together as something equally ridiculous."

"I know!" Hiromi threw her hands up in exasperation, not even bothering to blush, "Geez, it was just a kiss on the cheek! They act like they've never seen a good luck kiss before."

"Yeah! I mean, I got a kiss too! Why didn't they write about that?" Takao piped in, his chuckle mingling with abrupt, inexplicable irritation.

Hiromi giggled, obviously not picking up on it.

"She hurried over to kiss me _on_ _stage_. You got yours in the practice room where no one was looking." Kai replied, nonchalantly.

Takao gave his teammate a look, then answered coolly, "No one was looking, all right. She kissed me when we were _alone_."

Kai's eyes narrowed.

The brunette raised a brow, looking suspiciously between the boys, suddenly feeling the tension. She waved her hand in a flippant manner, "Yeah, whatever guys. That was ages ago."

"This wasn't." The silver-haired teen mumbled, throwing another tabloid in her face, with the headline, '_Kai and Hiromi: The Beyblading World's Dream Couple_', "They had pictures from when you dragged me to see that horror movie the other weekend."

"Oh, right! Those zombies were _so_ scary! I had nightmares for days—"

"It's not like I wasn't invited!" Takao interrupted, his fists tightening. "I was grounded that weekend, remember?"

Kai grunted, shrugging, "You didn't really need to go anyway."

The other boy growled and Hiromi's brows furrowed. "Yeah, Takao. It was not a big deal."

The male in question snorted and proceeded to pick up another magazine, reading aloud a sub-heading, "_Kinomiya Takao, Beyblading Champ, may have just found the girl of his dreams in Beyblading Coach, Tachibana Hiromi_."

There was an edge in his voice that Hiromi couldn't place, but it made her feel distinctly uncomfortable. She attempted to lighten the atmosphere with a short laugh, "Girl of your dreams? _Really_? I'm pretty sure I've been the witch of your nightmares for who knows how long—"

"Not true." Takao said, abruptly flustered, "You're important to me."

Hiromi blushed. Hard. "I…thanks, Takao."

Kai then cut in, voice like steel, "_Hiwatari Kai Risks Life for Girlfriend, Tachibana Hiromi_."

The brunette looked over at the new publication in Kai's hands, recalling the photos of her and Kai months ago; when a random villain had threatened her life and he had come, like a knight on a white horse, to save her.

The girl reddened with the feel of his smoldering violet eyes on her, "Ah…" She looked away, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, "Thanks…for that…"

Takao interrupted once more with yet another headline, "_Takao and Hiromi: Batuken's Couple of the Year_!"

He held it out to her and she looked over the pictures. They were from that same incident months ago; the aftermath, more like it. They were of Hiromi visiting Takao in the hospital after he'd gotten seriously injured.

"_Champion Kai and Coach Hiromi: An Illicit Affair_?" Kai mumbled, incensed.

Hiromi's cheeks took on a pretty pink, "Ah, that photo's from when we walked home from that one tournament…"

"_Kinomiya, Tachibana, and Their Secret Relationship_." Takao muttered, angry.

"…How did they get those? We were at _school_—" The girl raised a brow, grabbing at the tabloid.

"_Hiwatari Kai, the Beyblading World's most eligible bachelor, finds love in Bladebreaker's Sweetheart, Tachibana Hiromi_."

"…They stalk us at the dojo too? How the hell did they—"

"_Takao and Hiromi: Love Story of Batuken City_."

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA. Those are at my house! We were doing homework--!"

"_Kai Hearts Hiromi—A Fan's Look into Beyblading's Hottest Couple_."

"HEY. Guys, these are from that vacation we took in AMERICA. How could a fan possibly get these—"

"_Tachibana Hiromi to Become Kinomiya Hiromi_?"

"WHAT?" Hiromi exclaimed, face tomato-like and voice disconcerted, "We aren't even—"

"_Kai and Hiromi: A Prime Example of Unresolved Sexual Tension_."

"HUH?" She stuttered, blushing like mad, "Guys, stop already, you're making a scene!"

Indeed, some of the grocery store's customers had already stopped to observe the commotion. Several had already recognized them as the Beyblading celebrities they were and the whispers were endless.

Not that the two obviously furious young men cared any.

"That headline is so obviously a lie, I don't know whether to laugh or to comfort you." Takao grumbled, knuckles whitening as his fingernails made little indentations in his palm.

Kai snorted, "What? Like you and Hiromi getting married is in any way true?" He shrugged, eyes darkening, "Like she'd marry _you_."

"You idiots. _Shut_. _Up_." Hiromi whispered, ruby orbs angry, "People are _looking_—"

"And why the hell _not_?" Takao bit, furious, "We've been friends for years. I bet she'd love to marry me—"

"Excuse you--!" Hiromi cut in, frustrated, "How are you so sure—"

"If I recall correctly," Kai seethed, ignoring the brunette's flailing form, "she had a crush on _me_ for the longest time—"

The female screeched, annoyed, "Longest time? I thought you were cute Kai! That didn't mean I had a crush on you—"

The number of people and the volume of the whispers surrounding them noticeably increased in a matter of seconds.

"Look, look! The three of them are together—"

"They're those celebrities in the magazines!"

"What's going on? Those two look like they're fighting…"

"Are Kai and Takao fighting over Hiromi?"

"Oh! So it's a love triangle then!"

Hiromi shuffled in her place, hands fidgeting together, a mix of embarrassment and fury turning her cheeks red.

"Takao. Kai. I swear, if you don't shut up, I'll kill the both of you! We need to leave _right_ _now_—"

"Fine." They both said roughly and simultaneously.

She looked at them, surprised, about to breathe a sigh of relief when—

"We'll take this outside."

Her eyes widened considerably, "What? No, that's not what I—"

"I'm so gonna kick your ass, Kai!"

"I'd like to see you try, Kinomiya."

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The next day at practice, Hiwatari Kai and Kinomiya Takao, the legendary Grand Beyblading Champions of the world, were both looking equally beat up and unendingly apologetic as they chased down one irritated Tachibana Hiromi, well-known coach of the undefeated Bladebreakers.

As they attempted to talk to her, the only way she'd reply is by angrily throwing a copy of the latest tabloid in their faces.

The headline read, "_Kinomiya Takao, Hiwatari Kai, and Tachibana Hiromi: The Steamiest Love Triangle in Beyblading History!"_

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_End_

A/N: Well, that's it. Hope you liked it! Review! :D


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